A Motorcycle Paradise
Even though the distances are very small there is a variety of different landscapes – mountains in the north, desert in the south and beaches in nearly every direction. You can go swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, floating in the Dead Sea at the lowest place on earth and relaxing at the beautiful beach at the Red Sea. From there you can see the neighboring countries Egypt, Jordan and even Saudi Arabia. Biblical places like the Sea of Galilee, the holy city of Jerusalem or Bethlehem were unique places to stop one or two days. While riding curve after curve on roads with perfect conditions we completely lost track of time.
Rocket Alert in Tel Aviv
When we arrived in Tel Aviv at midday, we noticed the temperature change from freezing 4°C in Vienna to comfortable 30°C in Israel. While sitting in the bus on the way to the city center beautiful palm trees surrounded us. At the hostel, located in the old town of Jaffa, we shared a dorm with three Austrian girls we have seen before in our plane. Later we went to see the sunset at the beach, where a mixture of warm colors was reflecting in the water as the sun went down. At 5 pm it was already dark. Even though for us it felt like summer, it was still November and the days were already short.
Later we were sitting in a small restaurant eating Hummus and checked our messages for the first time of the day. Worried messages from family and friends came in. Just a few hours before we arrived there had been a rocket alert in Tel Aviv. “Enjoy Israel despite all those missiles”, the friendly waitress said as we left.
On the next day we took a free walking tour through Jaffa, the historical part of Tel Aviv. We had an uneasy feeling when our guide Anat gave us instructions how to find a wall and cover our heads when hearing the alarm. During the tour we learned a lot about the history of the old town. Anat showed us around telling us interesting stories about the buildings. The big gate was called Jerusalem gate as it showed the way to Jerusalem. There is also a Jaffa Gate in Jerusalem to guide the way to Jaffa.
The rest of the day we spent at the beach swimming and relaxing.
On the road again
The next day we met Duby from Bikelife Israel, whom we have contacted before to pick up the Suzuki V-Strom. We packed our two backpacks into the Givi topcase and the two soft side bags. Before we left, he showed us many nice places and good motorcycle roads on the map.
We felt really excited as we started the engine to start our next motorcycle adventure. Our first stop was in Haifa, famous for the Bahai Gardens. The gardens represent peace and are the most popular sight in Haifa. The administrative and spiritual center of the Bahai is also there. From the top of the gardens we had a fantastic view over the city and the Mediterranean Sea as the sun went slowly down. At night the gardens were illuminated beautifully.
Shabbat
As we went further towards the Sea of Galilee, the lowest freshwater lake in the world, the sun was slowly getting down.
With our Israeli sim-card booking a room was no problem. During a break we used to take a look at our phone, where we had the app booking.com. That way we decided where to stay. However, that day our battery went low. Furtunately we spotted a McDonald`s restaurant not far away. There we expected to charge our phone and book a room. We were really surprised to see the door closed and everything dark inside. It was Friday 5pm and it seemed that the whole town of Tiberias was closed. Every week from Friday at sunset until Saturday night nearly all the shops and restaurants are closed. Even most of public transport is not available on Shabbat. Of course the price of hotel room was higher than on any other day, but we were happy to find a nice and clean room. Luckily the Arab restaurants were opened so we could enjoy falafel and shawarma, roasted meat inside a pita.
In the morning before we went to Nazareth we decided to visit mount Tabor where legend has it that the transfiguration of Jesus to the son of God took place. As is was Shabbat there were many visitors wandering up the mountain.
In Nazareth village, an open-air museum that reconstructs village life in the time of Jesus, we were exactly on time for an English-speaking tour. Seeing the handcrafts and people walking around dressed in original clothes while harvesting olives we got an impression of that time. Most of the shops were opened even on Shabbat and we found a nice place to eat.
Jerusalem – the Holy City
Our next stop was Jerusalem, one of the oldest cities in the world. There are important sites and buildings from the three major Abrahamic religions – Judaism, Christianity and Islam. As we arrived in the evening the shops and restaurants were opening again and the streets were full of people. The old city is divided into the Muslim Quarter, the Christian Quarter, the Armenian Quarter and the Jewish Quarter. We spent the night in a futuristic capsule hostel.
For the next day we booked a guided tour through Jerusalem and Bethlehem. The tour started from a viewpoint where we could see all the famous buildings and monuments: the golden Dome of the Rocks, the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Western Wall and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
We had to pass many military checkpoints to enter the West Bank. The Church of Nativity is believed to be built on the place where Jesus was born. For the past 1700 years Christian pilgrims all over the world have come to Bethlehem to visit the famous basilica.
Later we went back to Jerusalem and walked on the famous Via Dolorosa, the path that Jesus took on the way to his crucifixion.
The Dead Sea
After two days in Jerusalem we rode towards our next destination on our bucket list: The Dead Sea. Soon we left behind the hills of Jerusalem and the temperature rose again. In the mountainous region, where Jerusalem is located, it had been colder than in Tel Aviv. We rode downwards until 430 meters below sea level to the lowest place on Earth.
At Kalia beach we parked the bike and paid about 15 € per person at the entrance. Inside there were many souvenir shops, restaurants and the “lowest pizzeria in the world” next to the “lowest bar in the world”. On the way to the sea we passed palm trees and beautiful flowers. Blue glittering water lay before us. On the other side we could see Jordan.
We felt a bit strange picking up the mud on the floor to put it on our bodies but after a while we had lots of fun. We were really excited about getting inside the water. Floating felt amazing. We have never experienced something like this before. The water is 9,6 times saltier than the ocean and one of the saltiest bodies of water in the world.
We spent the night in Arad where it got extremely cold after sunset.
Perfect motorcycle roads
The 20 kilometers ride to Masada on a curvy road with almost no traffic was one of the best motorcycle roads we have ever seen. Through the rocky landscape we passed even some camels before we reached Masada, an ancient fortification where we took a break to enjoy the breathtaking view to the Dead Sea.
Our next destination was the Red Sea in the south. On the way we passed an even more spectacular road than before: the Scorpion’s Ascent. The road was twisting curve after curve downhill where we met no other vehicle on our way. The unique rock formations in the desert Negev were fascinating.
The Red Sea
From Eilat, the southernmost point of Israel, it is possible to see the neighboring countries Egypt, Jordan and even Saudi Arabia. There we parked the bike for two days and visited Jordan by foot.
Unfortunately, every journey comes to an end. After we returned from Jordan we rode back to Tel Aviv in one day. On the curvy road to Mizpe Ramon we could enjoy riding on a motorcycle one last time before we arrived in Netanya to bring back the motorcycle just in time before Shabbat.
Riding in Israel was a great experience. There are so many interesting places to visit within very short distances.
Route
Info Box
Duration of stay
12.11.2019 – 20.11.2019 and
21.11.2019 – 23.11.2019
(We spent two days in Jordan from 20th in the morning till 21st in the evening.)
1st entry point
Ben Gurion Airport Tel Aviv
1st exit point
Wadi Araba Border Crossing
2nd entry point
Wadi Araba Border Crossing
2nd exit point
Ben Gurion Airport Tel Aviv
Extra costs
69 $ per person exit fee on the Israeli side of the border to Jordan
Visa
we got a visa on arrival on an extra piece of paper (no Israeli stamp in the passport)
Kilomters ridden
1325.7 km
Weather
perfect motorcycle weather during the days (between 20°C and 30°C), sometimes very cold in the nights (down to 11°C in the Negev desert)
Currency
Shekels (symbol: ₪, code: ILS), subdivided into 100 agora
Population
about 9,000,000 people
Religion
About three-fourths of the population are Jewish. The rest are mostly Arabs with the majority being Muslim. About 2% are Christians, even less are Druze.
Best experience
Due to short riding distances it was possible to visit many interesting sights like Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth or the Dead Sea in a very short amount of time. Also riding down the Scorpion’s descent without any other vehicles in sight at sunset was a unique experience for us.
Worst experience
Looking for a place to sleep at Friday after sunset when everything was closed and more expensive than on any other day.
Interesting fact
Women must serve 21 months and men 32 months in military service.
Travel tip
Avoid travelling on Shabbat. There is no public transportation and nearly all the shops and restaurants are closed.
Motorcycle Rental
Company
Bikelife Israel
(They do tours and rentals)
Owner
Duby Nevo
WhatsApp number
+972 50-828-9545
Website
bikelifeisrael.com
Accommodation
(personal opinion)
We looked for the cheapest possible place to stay at that time with secure parking.
Tel Aviv
Jaffa Overstay Hostel and
Roger’s House
Haifa
German Colony Guesthouse (cheap but no clean sheets)
Tiberias
Panorama Hotel (expensive and clean)
Jerusalem
CapsuleInn (5/5 – no motorcycle parking)
Arad
Rio Desert View Apartment (5/5)
Eilat
Armon Eilat (great kitchen and dining room to use for everyone, also a swimming pool; the friendly owner let us park the motorbike while we were in Jordan)
